Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu has announced that automated external defibrillators (AEDs) will be installed nationwide in crowded public areas — including airports, shopping malls and transport hubs — to enable rapid intervention in cases of sudden cardiac arrest.
The initiative, developed in partnership with ASELSAN using domestic engineering, marks “a historic step in Türkiye’s health vision,” the minister said.
“Automatic shock devices act as a life-saving bridge in moments where intervention is measured in seconds,” Memişoğlu noted, stressing that the system will guide users with a Turkish-language voice interface and intuitive design.
“These locally produced devices can turn an ordinary citizen into the hero of that critical moment. The device analyzes the heart rhythm and determines whether a shock is necessary.”
Under the new OED regulation covering 2026-2028, the ministry will gradually increase the mandatory presence of the devices in high-density areas.
Memişoğlu said the project aims to strengthen the first link of the emergency care chain. “Just as our ambulances move through traffic with the support of our citizens, this application reinforces societal cooperation. We are telling every citizen: ’When the heart stops, you don’t.’ Our goal is to build first-aid awareness and turn everyone into a potential life-saver.”
Produced by Turkish engineers, the OED is designed for easy use by anyone with basic first-aid knowledge. The devices will provide rapid intervention during the critical minutes before medical teams arrive, potentially saving lives in cases of cardiopulmonary arrest.
The locations, operational status, battery levels and real-time ECG data during use will be monitored around the clock by the Health Ministry.
Hatice Biler, an instructor with Ankara’s First Aid Unit, explained that the device is fully safe. “If the heart is beating, it will not deliver a shock. It only analyzes the rhythm and administers shock when a shockable rhythm is detected.”
She also underscored the importance of immediate action — checking breathing, calling 112, beginning chest compressions and applying the device as instructed — until emergency teams arrive.
